Drew Stanton common thread between Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts

ALLEN PARK -- So Drew Stanton has met with Indianapolis Colts coaches on both sides of the ball in preparation for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions, his former team.

Stanton, who played at Farmington Hills Harrison and Michigan State, was a backup quarterback for four seasons with the Lions before signing as a free agent with the Colts.

"He's a very bright guy and we're really glad to have him. You know, he's met with our coaches on both sides of the ball and he gave as much info as he could give that could help our game plan,'' Colts interim head coach Bruce Arians said. "It's not something that we're going to go change and do things differently because we know supposedly what they're going to do, because you never know what they're going to call.''

For three years Stanton backed up Matthew Stafford and now he's working with Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.

"Drew's been great. Obviously a true professional. He's helped me out on field, off the field stuff. Great guy. Smart, sort of has helped me organize how to organize a week, how to be a quarterback,'' Luck said in a conference call.

This wasn't surprising to Stafford.

"Drew's a great guy, obviously was one of my good buddies on the team. He's definitely a great guy to have in the quarterback room, he keeps it light but at the same time -- he understands the game, he understands what it takes to win,'' Stafford said. "He has his unique style, the way he plays. I think he can help bring some of that to Andrew's game I know he did to mine as well.''

While their circumstances were different, it's difficult not to see the similarities between Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck.

The Detroit Lions quarterback was the top overall pick in the 2009 draft, while the Indianapolis Colts quarterback was the No. 1 overall pick last April.

Both were thrown into the fire, tabbed as starters from Week One.

"You know, I think they're both highly talented guys and quality guys. They're what you're looking for in a quarterback. They can make every throw, they can lead their teams,'' Arians said. "So much of winning is everything that's involved in a team, not just a quarterback. I know it's hard to win without one, and I'd take either one of those and start a team any day."

Stafford, who is on pace for a second straight 5,000-yard passing season, has become a member of the Luck fan club. The two teams have played many of the same opponents so Stafford has seen plenty of Luck film.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz isn't concerned that the Colts will have an unfair advantage thanks to Stanton. It's part of the NFL to have players switch teams, then spill the beans. So there are safeguards.

"He was obviously here with our offense. So, he knows our offense inside out and a lot of our calls. Now, a lot of that they changed back in training camp and we have more than one call for different things and we can use dummy calls,'' Schwartz said.

"I mean, it's no different than any other player. But as a quarterback and a guy who was here three years in the same offense, there's certainly some insight that he has. Just his insight of defense, you know, he worked against our defense on the scout team. You know, he can talk to them about certain players, you know, strengths and weaknesses and things like that. It's all part of having a scouting report and getting ready to play.''